Unwanted
by neon
Summary: It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all??? A during and post Stalker ep, with a Nick/OC pairing...character death. This used to be posted on my 'Anything But Ordinary' s/n, but I decided to switch. --Finished! Sequel???--
1. Introduction

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Title: Unwanted  
**Author:** Stripped  
**Disclaimer:** _Ooh! I own them! Really, I do! Yeah! Uh-huh! Me! It's all me! Oh...wait...I'm not dreaming? Oh, *sigh* no, I don't own them. Wishes come true, though..._  
**Author's Note:** _This takes place during and after _Stalker_. I'm making the team extremely large, blah on realism, LOL. Original Characters = Sapphire McKinnen, Hayley O'Connor, Jenna Grissom, Anna DeRoss.  
_**Summary:**_ Romances bloom, romances break, hearts get broken, and hearts get mended...what happens when geeks fall in love?_  
**Pairings:**_ Grissom/Sara, Catherine/Brass, Archie/?, Warrick/?, Nick/?, Greg/? *shock, shock...Archie and Brass were mentioned as main characters! Woohoo!*_

~~ Introduction ~~

Jenna Grissom rushed to her car in running pants, a tank top, a bandana around her head, and a pair of flip-flops (attire which she called pajamas), in a blind rage. She had just received a call from her boss, Gil Grissom...a call that terrified her beyond belief. Nick Stokes (the man she liked to call her boyfriend, even though they weren't officially an item yet) had just been pushed out a second-story window. Thinking less like a crime scene investigator, and more like a father, Gil called Jenna before he called 911. His words were still fresh in her ears, whirring around like an angry bee.

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"Jenn, sweetie, are you sitting down?" he asked, in his normal Grissom manner, dancing around the topic.

"Uh...yeah, dad...why?" she asked, pulling a pink and blue bandana around the phone, and onto her head.

"Something's happened to Nick..." he explained shakily, knowing that Jenna would fear the worst.

Her heart sank to her feet. "What...w-what happened?" she stuttered, trying to get past the initial shock, and holding back tears.

"He was...pushed out of a second story window at the Jane Galloway scene..." he hated hearing this tone in Jenna's voice.

"W-what? Oh...oh my God...is...is he okay?" she choked out, feeling a tear fall from her cheek, and quickly wiping it away. "How bad is it?"

"He's still unconscious...meet us at the hospital, ok?" he asked, knowing her answer already.

"Yeah, definitely, I'm already almost out the door, see you dad..." she hung up the phone, not waiting for another word. 

Nick was pushed out a window...that last sentence was all she could think about as she turned the key to her Jeep Grand Cherokee, and hurried out of the parking lot to her apartment complex. _Nick...please be ok..._she prayed, turning from her road, onto a road she usually took to get to Nick's house. The girlfriend impulse overtook her, and turned toward Nick's apartment, to pick up a couple things Nick may want if he had to stay overnight. Even if he didn't have to stay overnight, she figured he wouldn't want to be alone, so she could bring them to her house when they went. Tears filled her eyes, and worry filled her heart, as the pulled into Nick's driveway, and headed to his door.

She glanced down at the lock, and looked nervous, seeing that it was opened. "Maybe he just forgot to lock his door today..." she told herself as she opened the door.

Nick's house looked dark and dreary, as though no one had been in it for days. His answering machine was blinking, and being the caring individual that she was, she decided to take his messages to him in the hospital. She touched the button, and gasped in horror when the massage came through.

"Nick...you have to watch it...you're in serious danger..." a voice Jenna didn't recognize came through the answering machine. "You can't go to that Jane Galloway crime scene...something really bad is going to happen there...you have to keep everyone away from that scene."

Jenna looked confused at the answering machine, then took the message down, and grabbed a couple of Nick's CDs. _I'll bring him Pekinpah, Pearl Jam, Nirvana...and an outfit or two..._she told herself, heading into his bedroom to get him some clothes. She opened the door to the all too familiar bedroom. How many times had she been in there before? And yet, it still felt strange, as though something was missing. Nick maybe? That was most likely it. She looked around the room and grabbed a change of clothes for him, then left the room, and the house, locking the door behind her.

~~

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~~ The Song ~~

'Unwanted' – Avril Lavigne

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All you did was walk over, start off by shaking their hands  
That's how it went, had a smile on my face, and I sat up straight  
Oh, I wanted to know you, I wanted to see you

You don't know me, don't ignore me  
You don't want me there, you just shut me out  
You don't know me, don't ignore me  
If you had your way, you'd just shut me up  
Make me go away

Oh, I just don't understand why you won't talk to me  
It hurts, I'm so unwanted for nothing, don't talk words against me  
I wanted to know you, I wanted to see you

You don't know me, don't ignore me  
You don't want me there, you just shut me out  
You don't know me, don't ignore me  
If you had your way, you'd just shut me up  
Make me go away

I tried to belong, it didn't seem wrong, my head aches  
It's been so long, I'll write this song, that's what it takes


	2. Chapter One: Goodbye To You

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Author's Note: _To Sam: _I like a lot of OCs, because I like to build characters, rather than use pre-built personalities. And, I know Griss wasn't there during the window scene...I was adapting things to my own. Thanks for the input, though. **Oh...**and I changed the main character's name to Jenna.

~~ Chapter One: Goodbye To You ~~

Jenna rushed into the hospital room, after finally hearing which one it was. Seeing Nick lying helpless in the hospital bed, her heart filled with fear, and her eyes with tears. "Nicky? Nicky...are you ok?" she approached his motionless body, and the tears started to flow from her eyes steadily. She only saw a couple minor cuts and bruises, but seeing even those tore her in a million pieces. She wondered if there was anything else wrong with him, as she put her hand on his. "Nicky..." she whispered gently, as he opened his deep brown eyes.

He looked up, and saw Jenna standing there, looking deeply into his eyes, then turned away in shame. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to sound slightly annoyed. But, he couldn't mean it. How could he mean it, to the woman who rushed to be by his side, even with a few minor cuts and bruises? He had to try to fake it. Being around him was the most dangerous thing for Jenna right now, and he couldn't risk anything happening to her. If anything did happen, he'd have a complete breakdown.

"I came quickly as soon as dad called and told me you were hurt...are you ok?" Pure worry and love filled her voice, as her sweet, caring eyes landed upon his pain ridden, unfeeling ones. "Well, I mean...will you be?"

"Yeah..." he knew there wasn't much Jenna Grissom hated more than a one-word response. He thought that if there was an easy way to get her to go away, this was it. He had to do this...for her. Every breath he took was for her.

Jenna shrugged off the one word answer, thinking she understood where it came from. She didn't think Nick was trying to rid himself of her; she knew he needed her far too much to do that right now. The one word answer was to show her that his guard was still up, and that he wasn't safe until this creep was in jail. She couldn't have agreed more if she'd tried. "I love you, Nick..."

"Leave..." he hated saying these words to her, from the bottom of his heart, he hated it. "Jenna, leave...you can't be here...I'm too dangerous right now..." he tried to sound sincere. "Don't come over later, don't wait up for me at your house. I won't be there. Just stay away from me."

Jenna was shocked, but tried to understand. "Why? No, Nicky, you're not dangerous. You don't want me to really leave, do you?" she looked into his eyes, and saw right into his charade, but not past it. "You...but...I, and...no!"

"Now, Jenna...leave right now!" he raised his voice a little, trying to scare her.

It worked. Her eyes filled with tears again, she let a couple fall down her cheek, and then ran from the room in a fit of violent tears. The words he said cut through her heart like a knife through butter. She wanted to turn right around, go back, and tell him that he was killing her, but if this was the way he really wanted it, he could have it that way. She'd sacrifice anything and everything to make him happy.

"I love you, Jenna..." Nick breathed out, then stood up. "Homeward bound..." he told himself, seeing his CDs and change of clothes that Jenna brought, sitting on the table. "She brought me over...oh, man...she came here to take care of me. Now I feel like a total ass..."

Anna DeRoss and Archie Johnson, the Crime Lab's resident A/V geeks, walked into the room shortly after Jenna left. "Hey, Stokes...what's the deal, man?" Ana asked, after seeing Jenna running down the stairs, in a continuance of her fit.

"Really...Little Griss was just in a fit of insane rage going into the elevator...she didn't even hear Anna and I talking to her..." Archie and Anna always called Jenna 'Little Griss,' because she was so much like her father, it was frightening. "We immediately started worrying the worst for you, because the only way Jenna is ever this tweaked is when something happened between the two of you."

Nick let out a deep sigh, and tried to tie his shoe, only to feel immense pain in his ribs. _Oh yeah...they're cracked..._he reminded himself, trying to find another way to get his shoe on. "I told her I couldn't see her anymore...it's too dangerous for her with this stalker guy out for my blood, man..."

"Who said he was out for your blood? You could have just been the first available CSI to shove...you have to look at all the possibilities, Nicky..." Anna explained, pulling her long blonde hair into a ponytail, then leaning over to tie Nick's shoe for him. "You might need Jenna, with the state you're in..."

Nick shook his head. "I don't want to risk her getting hurt...she means far too much to me...you don't even vaguely understand," he confirmed. "Jenna is the most utterly beautiful woman I've ever known, in every sense of the word, and losing someone like that, I'd rather risk my own life. Just try to understand what I'm saying here..."

"I really am trying, Nick..." Archie, suddenly catching on to what was wrong with Jenna, tried to make sense of it all. "But if you love Jenna like you say you do, why hurt her like this?" he asked.

"She doesn't deserve this kind of stress, Arch...trust me, if it could be any other way, I'd make it...but it can't, so, I won't," Nick bluntly stated. He knew he seemed callous, like he didn't love Jenna, but he did, and he would go to any extent (except taking her back) to prove it. "And if she were to ever be put in any danger, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I'm sorry, I just can't handle all these things at once. She's not added stress, and I'm not trying to make it seem that way..." he shook his head. "But, I really wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to her on my account..."

Anna smiled a little at the sweetness of her colleague, but then sighed at the grief he was going to put her best friend through. "Is there anything...anything at all we can say to convince you that you're wrong?" she asked, sitting on the hospital bed beside Nick.

"No, but I'm going to go home...I'm sorry, no offense or anything, I just don't want any company right now..." Nick shook his head slightly, his southern drawl showing more than a hint of tension. His eyes were glacial, and he had no hint of the usual Nick smile that rested on his lips. "I'll see you guys whenever Griss says I can come back to work, ok?"

Archie's eyes filled with concern, as he turned his glance from Anna's caring, sweet temperament, to Nick's apathetic, harsh one. Normally, Nick's eyes gleamed with happiness at the mere mention of Jenna Grissom's name. All it took was a touch from her hand, and he was completely fine, no matter what bothered him. "Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, ok Nick?"

"Really, Nicky...Arch and I are always available, if you ever need a friend, or anything..." Anna insisted, resting a friendly hand on his.

Harshly and abruptly, Nick pulled his hand away. "Thanks, I'll remember that guys..." he nodded, a slight hint of irritation in his eyes. As Anna and Archie walked away, sort of offended, Nick sighed deeply again, and called their attention. "Archie, Anna...wait a second, guys..." he called.

"Yeah?" Archie turned around, hoping for some sort of sentiment to send to Jenna, or even toward them. "What's up...?"

"Tell Jenna I said to call me if she's not too upset to, ok?" Nick shrugged, seeming a little less hard-hearted when he said Jenna's name.

"Definitely..." Anna nodded, flashing a nervous grin, and following Archie to his car.

~~

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And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time.  
I want what's yours, and I want what's mine,  
I want you, but I'm not giving in this time.  
Goodbye to you, goodbye to everything I thought I knew,  
You were the one I loved, the one thing that I tried to hold onto.  
'Goodbye To You' – Michelle Branch


	3. Chapter Two: Love Wouldn't Count Me Out

~~ Chapter Two: Love Wouldn't Count Me Out ~~

Jenna entered her apartment, still sobbing uncontrollably. She had no idea what she was expected to do without Nick there to make her feel safe. Sure, she was a strong person, but half of what made her as strong as she was, was the face that Nick was constantly there by her side. Now, without him there, she felt as vulnerable as a newborn child. She fell into the couch, and sobbed into her hands. All around her house, there were reminders of she and Nick, whether they were in picture form, clothing form or pretty much anything else. She looked at the table in front of her, and there sat a picture of she and Nick, on Christmas day 2001, him sitting on the couch, holding her hand and her with her head on his shoulder. 

It was over. She couldn't believe it was over. They'd always had something that didn't need to be communicated; something that no other love could ever compare to, and all in one day, it was over. Her heart had been shattered into a million tiny, unobtainable pieces. The only one that could ever make her ever start to feel right again was Nick. Nick...how could he make her feel right, when what she felt in her heart was that this was all wrong? She sighed, and decided that it was time to go to bed. Or, better yet, to work. That was what she did when she had immense stress on her. She got up, and went to her bedroom to get dressed.

As soon as she stepped into her bedroom, and the door closed behind her, the phone rang. Hoping it was Nick, after realizing what they were throwing away, she rushed to the phone, and picked it up as quickly as she could. "Hello?" she sounded hopeful. 

"Hey, Jenn..." it was Sara. She had just gotten back from work, and called to if Jenna knew how Nick was doing. Sara always looked out for Jenna in situations like this, no matter how bad off she was. "Heard anything about Nicky?"

At the sound of Nick's name, Jenna's lower lip trembled, and tears started to come to her eyes. "No...and...I don't think I'm the one you should call..." she explained, the tears starting to come through in her voice. She tried as hard as she could to hide them, but she did terribly.

"Jenn? What's wrong?" Sara asked, starting to become concerned. "Why wouldn't you know what's wrong with Nick?"

"He didn't tell you?" Jenna asked, surprised. Sara was usually the first to know about anything that happened in the lab. She choked back her tears, and sucked in the pain to tell Sara. "He told me that we shouldn't see each other anymore...because he's too much of a danger to me, as long as this psycho stalker guy is around..."

Sara put her hand over her mouth, knowing how much this must kill Jenna. "Oh my God, Jenn...are you ok?" she asked, knowing that even if Jenna said yes, she was lying.

"No," Jenna was up-front and honest with Sara, which was a dead giveaway to Sara that this was really, really bothering her. Normally, Jenna, just like her father, would hide what she truly felt, and when either one of them didn't, it was something serious...really serious. Jenna sat on the couch, holding the phone in her hand and resting her face in her other hand. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Usually, Nick was her Rock of Gibraltar; the one it was always ok to count on. But now she didn't even have him, and she felt so alone, even though she knew she wasn't. "Sara...it's killing me..." she cried. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Go talk to him...he can't do this to you, Jenna..." Sara suggested. "You know as well as I do that he loves you, and he just can't do this to you. You don't deserve it...all you did was love him, and try to take care of him..."

"No, Sara...he doesn't want to see me...so I'll grant his wishes..." Jenna cried like she thought she'd never see Nick again. "Maybe I should give dad my two weeks notice...it'd be so weird working alongside him if I can't hold his hand or anything..."

"Jenna, if you never listen to anything I say, ever again, listen to this, ok?" Sara insisted, her voice sounding as caring as it possibly could. "Go talk to Nick...he wants to talk to you, whether or not he'll admit it. Go see him, and if you get hurt, come see me, I'm always here for you..."

"Maybe I will, thanks Sara..." Jenna stood up. "I'll call you if I need anything..." she waited for Sara to answer. This was the man she loved, and if anyone deserved him, she did. She wasn't going to let some stalker take her one true chance at happiness away from her, by scaring the living shit out of him.

Sara grinned, and said, "See you later, Jenn..." then hung up the phone.

She was going to get Nick back, if it killed her. That man was everything she had ever wanted, and she was not going to let anything take him away from her. She ran out to her car, and as fast as she could, pulled out to go to Nick's house. _Please be home, Nick...please..._she begged him in her head. She needed Nick more than anything. Even if he thought she was safer, she felt less safe without him there to hold her. She looked up at the light, and seeing that it was green, rushed through before it turned red. 

Seeing his car in her driveway gave her a sense of calm, knowing she didn't go there for no reason. Nervously, she walked up to the door, and pounded as hard as she could. "Nick...NICK...it's Jenna...please let me in!" she begged. "I know you're there, and I need to talk to you..."

Nick groaned, sighed then slowly walked toward his front door. "I thought I told you to stay away, Jenna..." he opened the door, and as usual, was captivated by everything about her. "Do you ever listen to me?"

"Nick...just hear me out...I think I have a right to tell you how I feel about all of this," Jenna insisted, not even waiting to see if he approved. She sat down, and started in with what was going to be a long night of arguing, screaming, crying and talking.

~~

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If you are in love, then why let it go?  
Tell me, please, what's happened baby?  
It used to be that you couldn't live without me  
But now you think you're better without me?  
So now it's over? I guess it wasn't true  
When you said I love you,   
Cuz love just wouldn't count me out...  
~~ 'Love Wouldn't Count Me Out' – Brandy ~~


	4. Chapter Three: Do I Have To Cry For You?

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Author's Note: If things aren't exactly like they were in the episode, I'm adapting it to my own. Thanks for the positive feedback, people. And, so you know, as soon as this chapter is read, and reviewed, I'm going to move it to my other screen name, _Stripped..._yep, 'tis me!  
**Chapter Rating:** R for violence and language.

~~ Chapter Three: Do I Have To Cry For You? ~~

"Nick, you don't understand do you? This is so hard for me!" Jenna screamed at the top of her lungs. "I feel that I'm safer WITH you!" she shot up out of her seat. "I don't want to be without you! Without you, I feel like there's so much missing, and I can't STAND that feeling much longer!"

"We were never an ITEM officially, Jenna," Nick protested, knowing this remark would break Jenna's heart, and acting like he didn't care, when in actuality, it was tearing him up inside. "We have...had something special, yes...but we were NOT officially an item. You don't think I'd love to just wrap my arms around you right now, and stop you from hurting? It's taking all that I have inside me not to!"

"So, just do it!" Jenna opened her arms, and waited for Nick to embrace her. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere..." she felt a tear hit her cheek. "I'm never going anywhere, so just hold me!"

"I CAN'T!" Nick yelled, holding his hands out in front of him. "Jenna, if anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do...and in all honesty, I'd rather not have you, then have you get taken from me..." he told her.

"So, you'd rather have me be dead on the inside, than dead on the outside? I may as well be both right now, damn it! Without you, I feel like someone's taken everything away from me...can't you see that?" she started to sob again. "I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, Nick." 

"You think I want to be without you? I don't, Jenna! I really don't! I just don't want you to be in danger! If anything happened to you on my account, I wouldn't ever be able to look in the mirror again!" he hated seeing her cry. This was so hard for him, to see her like this.

"Well then, steer clear of all mirrors! You're breaking my heart, Nick! Being without you by my side is the worst torture to me..." she wiped her eyes.

Nick was about to wrap his arms around her, and leave behind his anger for a second, when his phone rang. _Saved by the bell..._he thought. "Just a second, Jenna..." he turned around to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Nick, it's Gil...Nigel is somewhere in your house..." Grissom came through the phone, with a panicked tone in his voice. "Are you alone?"

Nick's eyes turned cold. "No..." he looked slowly to the right, then to the left. "Jenna is here..." he turned around, to see if Jenna was still sitting there, and when she wasn't he shook his head. "Never mind, no she's not...she left."

Grissom was partially glad, but partially upset. "I sent Brass and a couple other officers over...they should be there soon..."

"Ok, thanks, Griss..." Nick nodded nervously, and hung up the phone. Nigel was in his house, again? He had heard the whole argument with Jenna. Oh, God...what if Jenna didn't leave? What if...

"NICK!" Nick heard a muffled female scream from his hallway. "NICK! AH!" It sounded so much like...Jenna!

He reached into his cabinet and pulled out a gun, slowly walking into the hallway. "Jenna?" he asked, looking around the hallway. "Jenna? Where are you?" He heard a very muffled scream, and then it went silent. "Jenna? JENNA!" he yelled, starting to become frantic. "JENNA, WHERE ARE YOU? COME ON!"

All in a flash, a ceiling panel came crashing down, and Jenna, unconscious, fell to the floor. Nick's heart stopped for a second, as he knelt down beside her to check her pulse, fearing the worst. Still alive, thank God. Bleeding severely in the forehead, but she was still alive. She looked as though she had been hit in the head with the butt of a gun. How could whoever hit her, though, have hit her in the front of the head? He reached down and touched her hair gently, and was scared out of his mind, by none other than Nigel Crane, Mr. Window Pusher, jumping down from the same ceiling panel he'd thrown Jenna from, and holding a gun to Nick.

"Step away from her..." Nigel threatened Nick by pointing his gun at Jenna's head. "Or she gets it in her pretty little head..."

"Ok, ok..." Nick stood up right away, and stepped two steps back from Jenna. He looked down at the floor, and seeing that he'd dropped his gun, he reached down to pick it up, only to have it kicked out of his reach by Nigel.

"Think you're gonna outsmart me?" Nigel asked, watching the gun sail across the floor and hit the wall. "You think you know a guy...and he pulls a gun on you. Nick, you've disappointed me..."

Nick wondered where he knew this guy from, but didn't say anything, so not to upset him. He looked at Jenna, love filling his eyes, and worry filling his heart. Seeing from the corner of his eye, though, that Nigel was expecting an answer from him, he looked up at him. "Why'd you do this to her?"

"She was hurting you, wasn't she? I thought she deserved a lesson..." Nigel explained, looking down quickly at the helpless Jenna, lying on the floor. "Goes to show who your true friends are, doesn't it, Nicky? You can't count on princess, here...or any of your other alleged friends, who aren't here yet. I'm here for you, Nicky..."

Jenna awoke, somehow not forgetting what had happened. She looked inconspicuously at Nick's shoes. _What do I do? I need a plan..._she thought. She looked up a little, and saw the gun against the wall. Staying low to the ground, she crawled across the floor, hoping that Nigel didn't see her. Her head was killing her, and she could only hear soft murmuring coming from Nick and Nigel in the background, but she reached for the gun, and pulled herself to her feet. 

Nigel, still pointing the gun at Nick, looked down at where Jenna had been lying, and was overcome with anger to see that she wasn't there. "Where did princess go?" he glowered at Nick.

Nick looked down at where Jenna had been, too, and panicked. "Jenna? JENNA!"

"I'm right here..." her eyes narrowed, as she pointed the gun at Nigel. "And not afraid, either!"

Nick was immensely relieved, not only because Jenna was ok, but also because he wasn't in it alone anymore. He knew that Jenna was a smart woman, but now, he saw that she was immensely under-credited. To have the will power to crawl across the floor with a gigantic gash on her head, and to have the strength to stand up, and hold a gun to an attacker? And, to defend Nick to the ends of the earth, even after what they'd just been through? Jenna wasn't only the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, she was the strongest, sweetest and smartest. But he'd already known that.

Nigel, in fear of getting shot, now aimed his gun at Jenna, giving Nick the opportunity to pummel it away from him. He lunged at Nigel with all his might, and took the gun away from him. Not quickly enough, though. The gun went off and, immediately after, Brass and two other officers broke in the door. Nick looked around for wherever the shot had penetrated, and started to get nervous when he couldn't find it. He glanced over at Jenna, and saw her lying on the ground, gun still in her hand. "Jenna? JENNA!"

Nigel had gotten his revenge. Jenna lay, unmoving, on the ground, blood covering her front half. Nick panicked again, and took her pulse. He looked closer at the wound, and he knew right away, the bullet had pierced her heart. That was it...Jenna Grissom, the love of his life, was gone. And she didn't even know how much he loved her. "You FUCKING BASTARD!" Nick shouted at the top of his lungs at Nigel. "You killed her! You fucking killed Jenna!" he lunged at Nigel, who was being taken away by the police, only to be held back by Brass.

"Nick..." Brass yelled at him. "Contain yourself! He's going to jail!"

"Damn it! He fucking killed Jenna, and you're telling me to contain myself? I don't think so! Jenna is dead!" Nick suddenly realized that the words he had just said were actually true, and broke down in a fit of tears.

Gil rushed into the room, after one of the officers outside had told him that Jenna had been shot, and glanced down at her motionless body. A glacial look formed in his eyes, and he knelt by his daughter's body. "Jenna?" he begged for her to just speak one word to him. He closed his eyes, and then glanced up at Nick. "What happened?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry, Gil...I didn't mean for it to happen this way!" Nick pulled himself away from Brass, and ran up beside Jenna. "I didn't want her to come here...I swear it..."

Gil nodded, knowing that Nick was telling the truth. "I know, Nick...don't worry," Nick and Gil broke down crying over Jenna's body, and then they shared a friendly hug, knowing that this experience would bring them that much closer.

~~

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Tell me what I gotta be,  
Tell me what you wanna do.  
Cuz I can't live my life the way you want me to.  
You know I can't go on  
Living like we do.  
Do I have to cry for you?  
~~ 'Do I Have To Cry For You?' – Nick Carter


	5. Chapter Four: Losing Grip

~~ Chapter Four: Losing Grip ~~

Nick stared blankly at the minister, as he told stories about the higher points of Jenna's life. People were smiling, even laughing, at things that she'd done and said. They'd just lost probably the most beautiful person to have ever come into their lives, and they were smiling and laughing? Nick was completely aghast. He looked to his left, and saw that even Gil was laughing a little. Sure, this was a remembrance ceremony, but laughing? Nick listened closely to every word the minister was saying, trying in his head to pick out what was so funny. He didn't see it. Even the minister's jokes sucked. If they weren't completely lame, they were depressing. Tears filled Nick's eyes, but he sucked them back, so he didn't look weak. He couldn't look weak in front of all these people. Sure, they all shared a common love for Jenna, but no love on this Earth was as deep as his was, aside from maybe Gil's. But, even he was laughing. Maybe Nick should take that as a signal to loosen up? No, this was Jenna's death he was talking about here. Loosening up would mean he was actually cool with her being gone, and he was very far from that. He just sat back, and listened to the Reverend talk.

"You can't talk about Jenna Grissom, without talking about her father, Gil..." Reverend James stated. "Jenna was Gil's mirror image, only, female and a couple decades younger..." he chuckled, followed by everyone else in the church, with the exception of Nick. "Gil was her nurturer, advice giver, and her boss at work, to boot...nepotism rears it's head again..." he joked, again causing everyone but Nick to laugh. "Her work life was incredible. She was remarkably good at what she did, and well loved by everyone at the crime lab, and considered them all her best friends. With the exception of one man, the love of her life, as she often called him, Nick Stokes."

Nick's head raised, as the Reverend Stevens said his name. Hearing that previous statement was a shot through his heart.

"Jenna was always talking about how someday, she wanted to marry Nick, and have a family with him. She even asked me if, when that day came, I'd join them. Of course, never in my life seeing two people so blissful as them, I agreed, because I would have done anything to make such a wonderful girl happy," every word Reverend Stevens said stabbed more and more into Nick's heart. "She loved him so much-"

Nick had heard enough. He stood up, and walked out of the funeral home in a blind rage. He couldn't handle thinking of how much Jenna loved him, because she had died thinking he didn't love her back, when he did, just as much. He'd had plans to marry her, and have a family with her, too, after seeking Gil's permission, but then everything went wrong. He'd picked the most beautiful diamond ring, and had everything so perfectly orchestrated in his head. He sat in his car and sobbed. He'd never felt so alone in his whole life. And now, the one woman who usually understood, and caressed him, was gone. He had no one. He stared blankly into space, and was suddenly joined by Gil.

"Nick..." Gil touched his shoulder. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Nick lied, nodding his head yes. "Go back in there, I just couldn't handle all the 'Jenna loved Nick so much,' stuff..." he swallowed back the lump that had lodged itself in his throat. "It's too much..."

Gil understood completely. He had seen Nick and Jenna together, so many times, and having everything end on such a harsh note must have brought Nick right down with Jenna. Nick's life was going to be as upside down as his own was for awhile, then, hopefully, he'd overcome his grief, and come back a ten times stronger man. He flashed Nick a friendly look, said, "Just be careful, Nicky," and headed back into the ceremony.

Nick laughed apathetically, and drove away from the church. "I wish you'd told me that the night I fucking broke your daughter's heart!" he mumbled to himself. He wanted to go home, but couldn't, because everything there reminded him of Jenna. The next logical place was the park, but there were far too many people there. He sighed, pulled over onto the side of the road, and just cried. This was completely his fault. He had no Jenna, and he had no ability to bring her fact this time. The woman he loved was dead, and when she died, she didn't even know he loved her. He'd lost it all in one harsh swoop, or...one harsh bang, rather. Ingenious of Nigel Crane, really. Brutal, but ingenious. He had permanently scarred Nick, and did it all in Nick's own home, without knowing how deep the scar really was.

Jenna was the best thing to have ever happened to him, and he let her slip away. Like everything else that had ever been good in his life, Jenna was gone, and he'd never see her again. This thought horrified him. He needed to get his head back on straight, but had no idea how. He sighed, leaned his head against the headrest, and closed his eyes, not expecting to fall asleep like he did.

~~

Rylea Patterson shook her head. She was being asked to replace someone who just died? Was this what she was expected to do? Obviously, the people at the Las Vegas Crime Lab were going to hate her at first. Did she expect that? Yes. Did she want that? No. But, it was inevitable. She looked in the newspaper, for the obituary of the poor girl she was replacing. Jenna Grissom...looking at this picture was like staring at her own reflection, really, and it was really quite scary. She put down the picture, and fixed her hair. This was going to be as close to hell as you could get. "Two days until doomsday..." she complained to herself, and went out for a drive.

~~

__

Why should I care?  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared, I was so alone.   
You, you need to listen.  
I'm starting to trip, I'm losing my grip, and I'm in this thing alone.  
~~ 'Losing Grip' – Avril Lavigne ~~


	6. Chapter Five: Twilight

****

Author's Note: _To my anonymous reviewer,_ if you don't like my story, don't read it. I changed my original plan from when it was on my old s/n, trying to satisfy you and you continued to bash it? What do you expect? I'm only human, and only 18, I'm not some professional writer. I have my imperfections. And you're the only one who seems to think it's no good, so if you don't like it, don't read it. Saying 'Good grief, this is bad' was kind of unnecessary, don't you think? I work really hard on this, and I try NOT to make it cliche. I'm actually more proud of this story than I've been of any other one I've written. So, like I've said twice already, if you don't like it, don't read it. And, if you do read it, and MUST leave a harsh review, please don't be so rude about it. At least leave your name, so I can retaliate.  
_To Franny,_ you seem to really like this, LOL. Thanks a lot for the review. It's much appreciated.  
This chapter is gonna be kinda short, but it's only a filler until I can come up with something better.

~~ Chapter Five: Twilight ~~

Nick stared blankly at the TV screen in the break room. He hadn't been reacting the same way to cases or just life in general since Jenna had passed away. Nothing anyone said or did could bring him back to reality. Those ten or fifteen seconds when he realized that Jenna was gone kept replaying in his mind like an old, cheesy horror movie. He looked on the outside to be over it, but on the inside, he was as torn up as paper, which had just gone through the paper shredder. He'd talked to Grissom a couple times, only to be thrown aside by his sense of carelessness. Maybe inside he was as torn apart as Nick, but it still wasn't showing. Nick just found that weird. His anger increased tenfold, when he found out that they were already replacing Jenna in the lab. Some girl named Rylea Patterson? Whoever she was, Nick was very annoyed. How could Griss be replacing his own daughter so quickly? Jenna must have been frowning down from heaven on all of this.

He sat on the couch, wanting more than anything to be alone, when, of course, he was joined by Greg. "Hey there, Nicky..." Greg plopped onto the couch, and in a very Greg-like manner, stuck his feet on the table.

Nick wanted to glare at Greg, to show him that his excitement was much unwanted at that time, but decided it against it. "Hey, Greg..." he glanced quickly at Greg, then out the window again.

"I hear we're getting a new chick today..." Greg wondered how Nick was reacting to this news. He soon got his answer.

Nick glowered angrily at Greg. "Yeah, that's nice..." he grumbled and stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see if Griss has anything for me to do, so I can inadvertently NOT be here when whoever it is gets here..."

Greg had figured this would be how Nick took it. It was the proverbial soap opera romance leads to demise story. "Okay..." he nodded, and sighed. Greg knew that Gil wasn't exactly what Nick needed to cheer up, either. Gil was extremely calm about all of this, and was trying not to let it consume everything he did, and with Nick, it had already managed to do that.

Nick had the same glacial look on his face that he'd had for the past three days, as he stormed into Grissom's office. "Anything interesting happen tonight?" he hoped he could get out of the lab.

Gil almost expected that to happen, and nodded a yes to Nick. "But, first, I have a question..."

Nick rolled his eyes. "What?" he asked.

Gil, slightly angered by Nick's attitude, sighed and asked, "Why did you come back to work, Nick? I told you that you could have a week or two off..."

Nick shrugged. "I don't know, just felt like it, I guess..." he answered, with a testy voice. "Now, where can I go to get outta here..."

~~

Rylea entered the lab, sort of nervous. She slowly approached the first available person, to ask who Gil Grissom was. "Excuse me..." she asked, sort of nervously, but then pushed the rest of the sentence out, trying to sound as normal as possible. "My name's Rylea Patterson...I was wondering if you could tell me who Gil Grissom is..."

The new face turned around and looked politely at Rylea, knowing how tough it was going to be for her to even try to fill Jenna's shoes. "Hey, I'm Catherine Willows..." then, Catherine gave her sort of a shocked glance. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Rylea Patterson?" she restated her name, and wondered what Catherine was staring at. "Um..."

"Oh...right, Griss...come on, follow me," Catherine directed Rylea to Grissom's office. "He's right in there..."

"Ok, thanks..." Rylea flashed Catherine a smile, and turned to go into Grissom's office.

Catherine shook her head, rubbed her eyes and looked at Rylea. She was the mirror image of Jenna, and it was spooking her out. She watched through the window, sort of wondering if Grissom would have the same reaction that she'd had.

"Excuse me..." Rylea cleared her throat, and looked politely at Grissom. "I'm Rylea Patterson, and I was told to come see you when I got here..."

Grissom looked up, and was shocked practically out of existence. She had Jenna's eyes, and hair. She even emulated the way Jenna always glowed when she smiled. This was going to be the perfect therapy for both he and Nick, either that or certain destruction for the both of them. 

~~

__

As the sun shines through, it pushes away, and pushes ahead  
Fills the warmth of blue, and leaves a chill instead.  
And, I didn't know that I could be so blind to all this is so real  
And as illusion dies, I see there is so much to be revealed  
~~ 'Twilight – Vanessa Carlton' ~~


	7. Chapter Six: You Remind Me

****

Author's Note: *sniffle* You like me! You really like me! Thanks so much to my reviewers, _Franny, Angelic Little Devil..._y'all rock! This chapter goes out to all of you...I may post Nick's reaction to Rylea in this chapter, but if not, it'll definitely be the next one.

~~ Chapter Six: You Remind Me ~~

Rylea shook her head a little, wondering what Grissom's problem was. "Um, excuse me?" she cleared her throat, being as polite as she could. "I was supposed to be here, right? Catherine showed me here, and I would feel really idiotic going through the wrong door even after being shown where to go."

"You're in the right place, Rylea..." Grissom smiled, watching this girl emulate his daughter in every way, and nearly flawlessly. "Why don't you go hang out in the break room, and I'll be right there in a second to show you around, ok?"

Rylea nodded, and obeyed. "The break room...second door to the right from here, right?" she looked slightly clueless.

Another look that she echoed almost perfectly from Jenna. Grissom was unsure whether to smile or cry, so he just went with his first instinct, which was a slight laugh, and a nod. 

Rylea shook her head as she left. _Whoa...that girl's name was Jenna Grissom...GRISSOM? That was what that guy's staring problem was...I look just like his daughter. He looks oddly familiar from somewhere. I can't quite put my finger on it, either...that's gonna bug the hell outta me. _ She went into the break room, and got a lot of off glances and gasps from people she assumed would be her colleagues. She tried to shake them away, but instead stood up, and announced, "Hello, everyone...I'm Rylea Patterson..."

After that, she heard a couple of clearing throats, and a couple of mumbled introductions. Assuming they thought she'd heard them, she shook her head softly, and planted her rear on the couch, awaiting Grissom's return. Hopefully he'd acquaint them all properly, considering he was the only one there that didn't seem to have a quandary with her. She caught a little bit of whatever it was the girl beside her was watching, _Friends_ she assumed. Rylea had never been an ardent TV watcher, only of the news, and a couple of the better cop shows. Maybe a couple cartoons, considering she was still twelve at heart. But for the most part, her TV stayed on CNN or MSNBC, to learn about the next crime or something like that. In watching what the girl beside her was watching, she was justified in her decisions not to watch (**Author's Note:** I am a _Friends_ fan...I just thought I'd make the character opposite of me for once...). She wanted to ask whoever this girl was, her name, but was afraid to get another gasp, or maybe even a scoff.

Grissom entered the room, followed by Catherine, and a man she didn't know yet, glad that almost everyone was there, but sort of bothered when he looked around, and saw no Nick. "Ok, everyone, listen up..." he tried to talk over the TV, which Anna immediately shut off. "This is Rylea Patterson..." he pointed to Rylea, and then looked at everyone else. Going around the room, from right to left, she introduced everyone. "This is Lieutenant Jim Brass, (**Author's Note:** I'm not sure if Jim usually hangs out at the lab, but he does here, so whatever, LOL), you've met Catherine Willows," he pointed to either side of him, and then started moving around the room. "Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown; who are all investigators. That's Greg Sanders; our DNA tech, that's Archie Johnson and right beside you is Anna DeRoss. They're our A/V technicians. Nick Stokes, our other investigator, is out on call right now..."

"It'll take me awhile to remember all those names, but hey to all of you," Rylea shook her head, a little confused by all the names. "It's nice to meet you all..."

Archie closed his eyes, and shook his head. "She looks just like Jenna..." he whispered to Anna. "It's kinda freaky..."

Anna nodded, "And she talks like her, too...uncanny, really..."

Rylea sighed, expecting this kind of reaction. She assumed it'd probably be better if she got right to work, but was interrupted by a confused looking man walking into the room. "Griss...that case you sent me on was freaky, man!"

Grissom laughed a little. "Which is why I sent you on it, Nicky...you're the only one I believe could've handled it!"

Whoever this guy was, he was the most remarkable looking man Rylea had ever seen in her life. In any other case, her flirty impulses would have kicked in, but wondering if he had been close to Jenna, she held herself back, and sat down.

Nick scanned the room, and seeing all the grave faces, started to become freaked out. "What's up, guys?" he asked. Then, his eyes fell on Rylea. Fear, amazement, doubt and then rage all flushed his body within five seconds. After the rage hit, he exited the room in a flurry, and went to his car, to be alone.

__

He must have been involved with Jenna or something...Rylea guessed. _Poor thing..._she then turned back around.

Grissom followed Nick, quickly, leaving everyone else to tend to what they were doing. None of them did, though. They all went into a state of worry, and started to talk about Nick, and what he was going to do about Rylea. Rylea sat there, slightly peeved, and left the room, only to meet up with the man who would soon become her worst nightmare, Conrad Ecklie.

"What the h-...Jenna?" Ecklie shrieked, coming face to face with Rylea for the first time.

"No...common mistake, really...I'm Rylea Patterson," she introduced herself sweetly, trying not to take his shock too personally, as hard as it was. "And, who might you be?" she asked, with a fake smile.

"What are you doing here? Civilians aren't allowed in the lab..." Ecklie rudely shouted, obviously being unaware of Rylea's place there.

"Uh, I work here? I'm the new investigator...you still haven't introduced yourself," she was becoming very quickly annoyed with his rudeness.

"Conrad Ecklie," he grinned evilly. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss, or should I say, Detective, Patterson..."

Frankly, the suppressed grin on Ecklie's face scared the shit out of Rylea. She watched him walk away, laughing like Satan, shuddered, and looked around for someone civil to show her around. The next person she came across was coming back into the building, wearing a coroner's jacket, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Rylea. "J-Jenna?" he asked.

Rylea laughed. "No, I'm Rylea Patterson..." she shook her head, and watched whoever this was stare blankly at her.

"Oh...uh...ok..." he looked confused. "David (**Author's Note:** I don't know the younger coroner's last name, LOL, so yeah, I'll just leave it at David)...nice to meet you, Rylea..."

"Same to you, thanks..." she shook her head at his obvious fear, then decided that it would be a lot easier to go back to the break room, and wait for Grissom to come back to show her around.

~~

__

You remind me of a girl that I once knew  
See her fave whenever I look at you  
Wouldn't believe all of the things she put me through  
This is why I just can't get with you  
~~ 'You Remind Me' – Usher ~~


	8. Chapter Seven: How Do I Deal?

****

Author's Note: Whoa...thank you ALL so much for all the feedback. I'm not gonna stop writing just because of one bad review, though. That's not something I do, LOL. Thank you so much to _Dawn, Angelic Little Devil, Amaran Barrantes, Franny, Maria..._thank you all so much! You all get your own lil credit space, WOOHOO! LOL! 

~~ Chapter Seven: How Do I Deal? ~~

Nick's eyes were filled with fury. He hated Rylea, and he didn't even know her. Was that wrong? _How could Griss hire her? What the hell is his problem? Damn, she's the VISION of Jenna! She better not try to replace her, or she's on my permanent shit list. _He watched Gil rush up to his car, and kept his anger flowing, although at this time, it wasn't much of a chore.

"Nick! What's your problem? I know you're going through a lot right now, but sooner or later, you're gonna have to work with Rylea, you know?" Gil asked, approaching Nick in a hurry, since he assumed Nick was on the verge of leaving anyway.

"Did you KNOW what this would do to me? Is THAT why you hired her?" Nick raised his voice a little, realizing that it was a mistake, but not caring in the least. "She looks ALMOST **EXACTLY **like Jenna...you know how HARD it's gonna be to come to work every day? Damn it, Grissom!"

"I know, Nick...you're forgetting, Jenna was MY daughter..." Gil narrowed his eyes at the younger CSI, bearing in mind that he was losing someone special to him as well. "I loved her just as much as you did..."

Nick sighed. "I know, I just feel like I lost as much of myself as I did of her...does that make any sense?" he asked, tears refilling his eyes, for the millionth time that week.

Gil nodded, his own eyes trying to conceal tears. "Jenna is going to be the best thing we ever lost..." He was the brave, tough, father figure, so he couldn't cry in front of one of his 'kids.' After all, if he did, Nick would just get worse, which would cause Gil to get worse, and it would be a never ending chain of tears and pain, which was something neither of them could deal with.

Nick looked past the irony in that statement, and agreed wholeheartedly with Gil. "And, if we ever find someone who can compare to her, we will be the luckiest people in the world, to have experienced true and utter beauty more than once in our lifetimes..." he wondered where that sentiment was during the funeral. If he'd thought of that then, maybe he would have stayed. He may have even been a little better off at this point in time.

"Why don't you give Rylea a chance...seeing someone that's even remotely like Jenna may be therapy for both of us..." Gil shocked himself by suggesting this to Nick, who was clearly going to laugh at the thought. Either that or get extremely angry.

Nick nodded, surprising both himself and Gil. "It'll take me awhile, but I'll warm up to her eventually...I just kinda feel like she's trying to replace Jenna. That much resemblance is scary, you agree?" he asked, pointing to the door, signaling that he was actually going to reenter the building.

Gil was surprised at that, but nodded in agreement, then said, "Yeah, I agree, but Jenna had a look that was unattainable by trying. Believe me, she tried to give her friends makeovers so they'd all look alike one time...it was not pretty..." he laughed at the memory of Jenna's slumber parties, and all the make-up and pizza she went through in one night, trying to make her friends Laura, Jessie and Mandy up like her. They realized halfway through the night that it wasn't going to happen, and just pigged out on pizza, all on Gil's dime, of course.

"Literally, or just..." Nick laughed for the first time in days, and he had Gil to thank for that.

"Literally..." Gil shared Nick's laugh, and walked into the building with him.

~~

Rylea thought to herself for a couple seconds, after finally being shown around by Dr. Robbins. What if all of this was a mistake? Every colleague she had already hated her. Well, maybe not hated her exactly, but resented her. She knew that much. She did look uncannily like Jenna, though. Maybe all she needed was a makeover? She ran her hand over her hair, and decided that was out of the question. She adored her hair too much to ever change that, and her whole 'look' took too much to perfect. Maybe she'd just have to get used to being called 'Jenna' all the time. It may take awhile, but she could do it. Maybe they'd even get used to her, and start remembering her name after awhile. She decided then, that she was going to hang out in the break room, before Grissom gave her first case to her. Maybe someone was there for her to point her name out to, and make absolutely sure that they had it right. But when she got there, what she saw made her want to cry with sympathy.

~~

Nick thought about everything for a second, during his break. Maybe Rylea was a blessing in disguise? What if she was Jenna, embodied to him? Well, not embodied, but returned. If she was, was he actually going to do anything about it? He couldn't lose anyone else that was even close to like her. He didn't want to go through that pain again. But what if she was the next woman in his life? She was so much like Jenna that it was almost impossible NOT to think that she may be next. But what if something was to go wrong again, and he'd lose her in some twist of fate, like he had Jenna? He couldn't handle that. He'd tried with everything inside him to protect Jenna, only to have it all come crumbling down at his feet, and her getting killed in his efforts. Imagine, if he had just NOT told her to stay away from him, he would have been at her house that night, and she wouldn't have been killed. He closed his eyes and started to cry, only to have a soft, warm, almost familiar hand touch his shoulder.

~~

__

How do I deal with you?  
How do I deal with me?  
When I don't even know myself  
Or what it is you want from me?  
~~ 'How Do I Deal?' – Jennifer Love Hewitt ~~


	9. Chapter Eight: Contradiction

****

~~ Chapter Eight: Contradiction (Petals) ~~

Nick jumped. _That touch...is it?_ He turned around. _No, of course not..._he sighed. There she was...the person he loathed, abominated, despised, and every other existent synonym. But that gentle touch...it brought back every feeling he'd ever felt when Jenna touched him. How could he ever hate someone so gentle and sweet? Simple, just think of Jenna and the fact that THIS was her replacement. That made him feel like everyone in the world was turning their backs on him. He stared into the eyes of the woman he so hated, and shook his head quickly, realizing he was starting to hate her less and less every second. "Yeah?" he rudely asked.

"Are you ok?" Rylea asked, in the same gentle tone Jenna had always used. She had everything. How could she...?

Nick sighed, and wondered if it was safe to let himself go around her. He decided against that, indefinitely. "Yeah, fine..." he callously stated. _Why did I do that? Because you hate her, Nick. Right? Yeah, it's definitely justified._

Rylea nodded, figuring he was going to be the one that never got used to her. She nodded, and turned from him, starting to walk toward the door. "Ok, then, sorry I asked," she sighed.

Nick watched her walk away, and the second her hand touched the doorknob, he yelled out, "Wait..."

She turned around slowly, expecting an angry tone, or some sort of screaming session. "Yes?" she seemed a little annoyed, and rightfully so.

Nick sighed. "I'm sorry, Rylea, I just feel like-..."

"I'm trying to replace Jenna? I know, I figured you all would feel that way..." Rylea explained, understanding completely that Nick was going through personal hell-fire right now. "It's ok, I totally understand, she meant a lot to you, and it's tough to lose someone like that. And, I'll completely accept you maybe taking it out on me for a little while. After all, I do look so much like her, it's rather scary."

__

She sees it too...Nick grinned. "Yeah, but I have no reason to take it out on you, Rylea...I'm sorry, I just..."

"No worries," Rylea cleared her throat, and headed back over to Nick. She had been trained in psychology, and if she couldn't be a CSI, she was going to be a grief counselor. It was time to put her aptitudes to good use. "And, by the way, I'm always here if you need to talk. That goes for all of you, but you're the first one I've had the chance to say it to..."

Nick didn't know what to think. He wanted to be angry about that suggestion, but something inside of him told him that it was sincere. He flashed an unsure grin, and nodded a thank you to Rylea. "That means a lot, thanks," he leaned back on the couch, his tears starting to diminish.

Rylea had seen so many people in pain, but no pain this sincere and deep. He loved Jenna with all his heart, and now it was Rylea's personal mission to make the pain and hurt go away, or at least subside a little. She leaned back, and started to feel like something was going to go right, or terribly wrong.

~~

"Yeah, mom...my colleagues are really nice..." Rylea told her mother on the phone. Rylea had always considered her relationship with her mother the strongest and most honest relationship she'd ever had. "And my boss is really...something original. He keeps staring at me like I'm his long lost daughter or something...probably because I look like his daughter."

"Really?" her mother, Gabrielle Patterson's voice got a nervous tone, which Rylea immediately sensed. "What's your...boss' name?" she asked.

"Gil Grissom, why?" Rylea asked, starting to worry. When the other side of the line went silent for a while, Rylea cleared her throat, and shouted. "Mom! You there?" she was a little bit worried.

"Uh, yeah, honey..." Gabrielle got nervous, but tried to shrug it all off as a coincidence. _There are probably a ton of Gil Grissom's in Las Vegas..._she thought, unrealistically. "What's the other girl's name? The girl you're replacing, I mean?" she asked, secretly hoping for any answer but the one that she was about to get.

"Jenna...why?" Rylea asked, suddenly hearing her mom drop the phone, then scatter to pick it back up. "Mom? Mom, are you ok?"

"I dreaded this day, Ry...I really did. But, there's something I need to tell you," Gabrielle's voice got tense, and Rylea knew that she was about to hear some life changing news.

"Oh boy..." Rylea sat down on her couch, and waited to hear whatever it was.

"When I was twenty or so, and a junior in college, honey, I met this man..." Gabrielle started to explain the long story to her daughter. "And, well, I fell in love. We..."

Rylea knew the rest of the story, and stood up in anger. "Are you telling me...Gil Grissom is my...father?" she asked, her voice filling quickly with hostility toward her mother, for hiding this from her for so long. "What about Chris?" she referred to the man she had always thought was her father.

"I married him shortly after you and Jenna were born, and Gil and I split up..." she explained. "Honey, I didn't want you to be a part of all that investigation and gore and stuff, what's why when you got interested in it, I tried to discourage-..."

"So...I've thought the wrong man was my father my entire life? Does he know that he had twin daughters?" Rylea asked.

"No...he wasn't there when the two of you were born...he wanted to be, but," Gabrielle sighed.

"So...AUGH mom! I have to call him...no, better yet, YOU have to call him! He deserves to hear this from you! Mom! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Rylea began to cry. 

"Rylea, darling...I knew if I told you, you'd want to go find him...and then, he wouldn't have believed you, and you would have been crushed. I couldn't handle that!" Gabrielle pleaded with Rylea.

"So, you figured it was better that I went through life living a lie?" Rylea squeezed the phone in her hand. "Mom, you're calling him, and telling him, and if he doesn't know by tomorrow, I'm giving him all your numbers, home, work, cell and car, so he'll be able to reach you, and ask you himself. Damn it! I have to go, bye mom!" she didn't wait for an answer, hung up the phone, and left the house.

~~

__

I love you, I love you, I love you, so tell me no.  
I love you, I love you, I love you, leave me alone.  
I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I need you so.  
Tell me more, but don't let me know too much;  
My knowledge screws me up.  
~~ 'Contradiction' – Kelly Osbourne ~~

__

I've often wondered if there's ever been a perfect family  
I've always fought for undividedness, and sought stability  
A flower taught me how to change, but as I grew, that flower changed  
She started flailing in the wind, like golden petals scattering  
~~ 'Petals' – Mariah Carey ~~


	10. Chapter Nine: Father Figure

****

~~ Chapter Nine: Father Figure ~~  
(I'm ashamed that I used a George Michael song for the title, but it fit)

"So, wait a second, Gabrielle...we had TWINS, and you never told me?" Rylea heard Gil yelling from in the hall. "So, is there anything ELSE you're hiding from me?"

Nick was leaning against the wall, seeming angry again. "I thought...augh, whatever..." he complained. "There's another thing like Jenna..."

"It's not like I TRIED not to know about my father, ok?" Rylea had tears in her eyes. "You think I **WANTED **to not know my father all my life?" she screamed. "I thought some guy my mom met a few days after I was born was my father, ok? And, now, at twenty-four? I'm finding out that my new boss is my father, and I never got a chance to know my sister? Ok, never mind, forget it. I give up on trying to talk to you, because every time I try..." she turned around and rushed to the break room.

Nick sighed. Maybe he had been a little harsh on the poor girl. She had just found out some life changing news, but he still felt that she was trying to take over Jenna's life. Well, if there was one thing he wouldn't take from her, it was him. If he ever fell in love again, it would certainly not be with some Rylea Patterson, or Rylea Grissom, or whoever she was. No way...no matter what happened, Rylea's inescapable charm would have no effect on Nick Stokes. He looked into the break room to see Rylea sobbing, and it brought him right back to the night Jenna had died, when she came crying to his doorway. It had been his fault. If he had just stayed with her, she would still be there with him, and there would be no Rylea Patterson in his life. But seeing her there, just as it would with Jenna, broke his heart. "Rylea?" he asked, approaching her slowly.

"What?" she snapped, turning around quickly to see Nick looking a little bit surprised at her tone. "I'm sorry...what is it?"

"I just thought I'd come and offer you someone to talk to..." he explained, sitting beside her, being more compassionate than he thought he'd be. "Neither of us are going through our best times right now, and I bet you anything in the world, if we met under better circumstances, we'd get along...so, why don't we try to be friends, and see what comes from it?"

Rylea took her face from her hands, and looked into Nick's beautiful brown eyes. "What made you come up with that?" she asked, smiling slightly, tears still pouring down her cheeks.

"I figure you remind me so much of Jenna, and you're her sister, you must be more like her than I'm giving you credit for, and I'm also being quite harsh on you. You never did anything to me, and I'm treating you like a criminal..." he sensitively looked at her, staring into her blue eyes. God, she reminded him of Jenna. But that was justified now. She was Jenna's sister? It was even more wrong for him to even THINK of feeling what he was starting to feel. Or...not...starting to feel. What was he doing? He was being completely immoral and unfaithful to Jenna! No. He would not fall in love with Rylea. He wouldn't even start to like her.

Gil walked back into the room, failing to cover the tears that had fallen from his cheeks. He had another chance to be a father, which made him nearly the happiest man in the world. He looked at his teary eyed daughter, and opened his arms.

Without a second thought, Rylea stood up and hugged him. "I always wondered why I never looked like mom OR Chris..." she sniffled, and put her head on Gil's shoulder, feeling the father daughter connection between the two of them. "But, I do look a lot like you..."

"I saw that to, Rylea...I'm so glad to have another chance..." Gil Grissom, for the first time Nick ever recalled seeing, anyway, was crying. 

Nick was the only one who didn't seem even mildly moved by all of this. Sure, it was a touching reunion, but both of them had seemed to have forgotten about Jenna...the main reason Gil even met Rylea to begin with. "Ok, so what is this? She comes along, and you don't even give Jenna another thought? Very nice..."

Gil sighed, but understood Nick's anger, and released Rylea from his grasp. "Nick, you don't see it the way I see it, and nor do I for you, so let's not pass judgement about one another, ok? We both lost a very important figure in our lives-..."

"But YOU get another 'chance to make it right.' Do I get that lucky?" Nick stormed out of the break room, in a fit of tears.

Rylea felt terrible. "Man, I wasn't lucky enough to know her, but then again, I never had to lose her either...is he gonna be ok?" she debated in her head whether or not to call him dad, but decided against it just yet.

"He'll be fine, I hope...Nick is strong, but we...or...yeah, we...need to be there for him if he needs us. He loved Jenna more than anything," Gil explained, worrying about Nick, but still immensely overjoyed to have Rylea there.

~~

"So, she's your daughter?" Sara asked Gil, watching Rylea get harassed by Greg.

"Yeah..." Gil nodded, placing his arm around Sara's shoulders. "And, Nick didn't take to it too well, either...my take on that is that he thought I was the only thing Rylea hadn't taken from Jenna. And now, we find this out, and there's nothing left of Jenna for him."

Sara nodded, resting her head on Gil's shoulder. "She looks so much like you...does she look anything like her mother?"

"No," Gil grinned, looking gently at Sara. He kissed the top of her head, then, his grin grew. The two best things to ever happen to him were both in the same building. "That kinda hinted to her that the guy Gabrielle told her was her father, wasn't. But, she never got enough evidence, so to speak, to follow up on it."

Sara smiled, but then frowned. "What about Nicky, though?" she removed her head from Gil's shoulder, and flashed him a worried look about Nick. "Do you think he'll ever warm up to her?"

"Yeah, honestly, I see something huge in the future for both of them. If she's anything like Jenna, he'll fall for her as reluctantly as he did for her. But then, after that, remember?" Gil asked.

Sara nodded. "They were inseparable...I'm hoping as much as you are."

~~

__

I will be your father figure  
Put your tiny hand in mine  
I will be your preacher teacher  
Anything you have in mind  
I will be your father figure  
I have had enough of crime  
I will be the one who loves you  
Until the end of time  
~~ 'Father Figure' – George Michael ~~

__


	11. Chapter Ten: Unsung

****

~~ Chapter Ten: Unsung ~~  
(Inspired by a Vanessa Carlton song)  
**Author's Note: **You didn't think I'd be back, did you? Well, here I am...there's a little of a spoiler in the next couple chapters for 'RiBSC.'

Nick glared angrily at the alarm clock, almost as though he were threatening it not to go off. 5:59...one minute left. He sighed and rolled over hoping he'd, maybe, forgotten to set it. Maybe staring at the opposite wall would help. No, of course not. As soon as his eyes closed again, and he was finally almost back to sleep, the alarm clock blared with the loudest infernal beeping he'd ever heard in his entire life. _Goes to show you how far wishing will get you. _He told himself as he reached across the bed and smacked the snooze button, then shut the alarm reset off. _I suppose going back to sleep would be a bad idea..._he told himself, getting up and walking to the bathroom. _Maybe Rylea will take a sick day? Yeah right, with her new little discovery? Ha! She'll probably be in early everyday, sucking up to Griss and begging him to let her take over Jenna's life even more!_

He looked around his house. Everything reminded him of Jenna. On the bathroom floor, her dirty clothes from the previous week. Normally, if she were still there, this would anger Nick, but in light of recent events, he picked up the shirt and almost started to cry. It was still full of the smell of her perfume. That unmistakable Jenna scent that now was going to be Nick's demise. He decided to keep those clothes in the back of his closet, in case he ever needed a reminder of her, as if his entire house wasn't enough of one. Every step he took, something else Jenna had touched or used. Even in his shower...her body wash sat there, still almost full. She almost lived there for the entire month before she was killed, and Nick relished every second of it. Now, if only he could bring it all back. He would do it so much differently this time.

He would have never let her out of his sight. He would've begged Grissom to put them on all cases together, no matter what they were. They would have spent every night in each other's arms, and every day together. Ok, maybe not that bad...he didn't want to be like one of the guys he was constantly investigating for murder, but, he would at least spend a lot of his time with her. God, that woman was the best thing that ever happened to him, and now she was gone. Were the fates trying to taunt him with this 'reasonable' facsimile? Because if they were, it wasn't working. No way someone who looks, talks and acts like Jenna could ever replace the real thing. Not in Nick's heart, anyway. Nothing would ever come near what he and Jenna had.

~~

Rylea's jaw was practically on the floor. Sara had just told her the story about how Jenna had been killed, and it completely shocked Rylea out of reality. She felt terrible for Nick...her father...everyone, really, and even started to comprehend why Nick hated her like he did. "Oh my God, that's awful!" she covered her mouth. "Poor Nick...no wonder he's being kind of...yeah..."

Sara nodded. "It was tough for all of us, but I think Nick took it the hardest, because he was sitting right there...then, in an instant, she was gone..." she had tears in her eyes when describing the situation to Rylea. 

"That's horrible...the poor guy..." Rylea glanced at the wall, trying to imagine Nick and Jenna in that situation. "I feel so bad..."

Gil entered the room, looking over some papers about a case he was investigating. "What are you two talking about?"

"Since when did you become so interested in what I talk about with a colleague?" Sara asked, giving Gil a devious grin.

"Since the colleague was my daughter..." he returned the grin, and sat between the two women in his life.

Rylea laughed, wondering in her head if he'd been like that with Jenna. "So, what's that?" she asked, while peering over her father's shoulder, wondering what case he was investigating.

"D.B. in the desert. I'm actually glad I found you, Rylea, I think I'm gonna put you and Nicky on this one..." he nodded to her.

Rylea looked forebodingly at her father. "No way...if you put us on this together, you're liable to be investigating a whole new case...i.e. mine..." she shook her head profusely. "He hates me, dad..."

Gil grinned at the term 'dad' being used toward him again, but then got a stern tone with Rylea. "You're an adult, right? You can handle it..."

Sara laughed at the father daughter moment, and leaned against Gil's shoulder. "Quite the dad, you are..."

Nick entered the room to see the three of them, cozy on the couch, reading over the case file. "Look at this...future Grissom family photo?" he asked, faking happiness.

Rylea sensed the fakeness, and stared off in the opposite direction. It really hurt to like him, and have him think all these things about her. It was like a crushed high-school crush.

Gil looked up at Nick, and handed him the case file. "You and Rylea are going to go check this out..."

Nick looked at Rylea and rolled his eyes. _Figures, I'm stuck with little miss...ugh whatever._ He nodded, and looked at Rylea. "You coming?" he asked, with the normal annoyed tone he always got with Rylea. He knew he was being a jerk, and frankly, he didn't care in the least. _She's not_, he kept repeating in his head, _going to take the place of Jenna. Not now, not ever..._

"Sure, why not?" she rolled her eyes, and followed Nick out of the room. _I would follow you to the ends of the Earth..._she thought, pushing the tears to the back of her mind, not wanting to cry in front of anyone.

Sara looked at Gil, who she knew would be pained to see his daughter in such agony. "Gil, are you going to be ok? I mean, he'll come to like her someday..."

"Yeah, but the way she likes him?" he asked her, knowingly. He saw in Rylea's eyes how she felt about Nick, and it really hurt him to see her like that.

"I thought you were confident that he'd come around?" Sara asked, watching through the window as Nick scowled at Rylea.

"Yeah, but look at him...and then look at her, she's about to cry, Sara..." Gil watched the car speed off into the distance. "God, I've been blessed with another chance, Sara...you know how lucky I am?"

Sara nodded. "Very...and, you know what? Rylea is lucky, too..."

Gil smiled. Sara always had a way to make him smile, no matter how torn his heart was. He gently turned her face toward him, and kissed her.

~~

__

If only I could get into that corner of your head...  
Where things finally match and meet the standards that you set,  
Oh, how I wish I was the treasure that you were looking for.  
I bet I would feel better if only I could find the door.  
I am cryin', you aren't tryin', I am melting away  
~~ 'Unsung' – Vanessa Carlton ~~


	12. Chapter Eleven: One Step Closer

****

~~ Chapter Eleven: One Step Closer ~~  
Author's Note: I've decided to remove my RiBSC spoiler. Maybe later. I'll make my own crime scene.

~~

The room was charred black. Basically everything that Rylea and Nick could see, with the exception of themselves and outside the window, was black and incinerated. It was very clear to them, though, that the fire had been started a long time ago. What they were there for was a dead body lying in the corner, it's arms and legs cut off and hanging from the ceiling. Rylea looked around, and shook her head. "Very dismal environment..."

Nick nodded in agreement. "And a very gruesome D.B.," he spoke. "Someone had a very strong vendetta against this poor shmo..."

Rylea's lip curled, and tears filled her eyes. "What is that? Is that a dog?" she asked about a beheaded animal in the corner of the room. "Someone had a thing for chopping stuff up..." she remained strong, and knelt over the animal. Rylea had always had more sympathy for animals than she did for humans. 'Defenseless animals are always the scapegoat for so much uncalled-for anger and hate,' she'd say.

Nick looked over at her and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. "You ok?" he asked, walking up beside her. _She didn't even know the dog, and she's freaking out. Is that a sign of weakness or extreme sweetness?_

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she nodded, and stood up straight, knowing he was only faking sympathy. "So, what do you think happened?"

Nick shrugged. "That's what we do...we figure that all out," he treated her like she was stupid.

"Thank you, Professor Stokes, but I knew that..." Rylea rolled her eyes. "I just was wondering if you may have any idea." She hated when people got that sarcastic tone, the one they'd use with a five-year-old, with her.

"No, I don't. But thank you for your question, Miss Patterson..." he chuckled to himself at his joke.

Rylea's eyes narrowed. "Mature. Very mature..." she bitterly squabbled. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." she took out her kit. "I'm going to get to work."

"Really, wouldn't want daddy to get angry with you!" he mocked.

"Excuse me?" she abruptly pivoted around, and looked Nick in the eye, offended by his comment. "What the hell is your problem? I never did a damn thing to you, Nick! Actually, for a while, I thought we were on the track to possibly becoming friends! And now all you can do is badmouth me?"

"You never did a damn thing to me? How about trying to take over my ex-girlfriend's life?" Nick glared at her. "You take her job, her looks, her STYLE, her **FATHER**..."

Rylea scoffed. "Excuse me...he's MY father, too! And that's quite immature. Very low." She put her hands on her hips, and dropped the rubber gloves she was putting on her hands. "It's not like I WANTED to find my father...I thought I already knew him!" Tears came to her eyes, but she quickly pushed them back, and went back to her angry state.

Nick thought about this for a second. "Well, didn't you get suspicious about the fact that you didn't look like either of your...well...your mom and the guy you thought was your dad?"

"Yeah, but I didn't care! I was happy to have a stable family, with two brothers...and then I move here and find all this out? Please tell me where I'm stumbling across anything I've ever done to you, because I'd like to know!" she removed her hands from her hips, and crossed her arms under her chest. 

Nick looked her up and down. That was the exact look Jenna got the night after Christmas in 2001 when he pushed her into the snow-bank he'd created. Only, Jenna was a lot snowier. This caused Nick to laugh.

"What the hell is so funny?" Rylea's hands replaced on her hips. "I said nothing witty or funny, did I?"

Nick grinned. "That look on your face just reminded me of Jenna, that's all..." he looked outside, and tears filled his eyes. "It's just so tough..."

Rylea approached Nick, the anger inside her starting to fluctuate and subside. That man had it bad for Jenna, and she was gone. Rylea placed a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder, only to have it quickly pushed off.

"Not me! You're never gonna take me from her!" he glared angrily into her soft, blue eyes. "Try all you want, but I'll always be loyal to Jenna..." he cried uncontrollably.

Rylea then realized that he had yet to snap out of it, and realize the fact that Jenna was gone. She went from severe hurt to infinite sympathy. She had to help him realize that she was gone, even if it meant for her to tell him.

~~

"Dad, can I talk to you?" Rylea poked her head into Gil's office, her face filled with worry. "It's about Nick..."

"Sure, Ry, what's up?" Gil nodded, and signaled for her to enter the office. He thought it was something about her crush, and his policy for on the job dating, but when she started to speak, his outlook quickly changed.

Rylea began to explain the situation. "Dad, I don't think Nick's come to grips with the fact that Jenna is gone yet...today, we were at that scene you sent us to...you know, the one with the de-limbed dude, and the beheaded dog, which I strongly dislike, but I'll get into that later..." 

"Rylea, to the point?" Gil asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Nick hasn't come to grips with..."

"Oh, sorry...yeah..." she laughed and continued, looking down at the floor. "He hasn't come to grips with the fact that she's gone yet, because we started to argue, and all of a sudden, he told me he'd 'always be loyal to Jenna.' And he said it like she was still here, or something..." she looked up at the look on Gil's face, which showed no surprise whatsoever.

Gil looked at Rylea, nodding. "I saw this coming, actually...maybe you should have a talk with him? You did take that psych course...and you were gonna be a psychiatrist, right?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Rylea nodded, but in her head was disagreeing with his suggestion. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, he's pretty open with the way he feels about me, and I don't want him to get even more upset or anything. I mean, sure, I'd love to help...because, yeah, I'm always there when I'm needed...but-..."

Gil laughed. Rylea sounded like Greg, rambling on and on about something when she got nervous. "Rylea, there's no need to be nervous around me, for one. And for two, I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't a good idea, ok?"

Rylea nodded. She grinned, then changed the subject. "Now about that whole beheaded dog thing...I feel that animals deserve more sympathy than humans do..."

Gil shook his head, with a grin on his face. In this sense, Rylea reminded him of Sara. Very sympathetic and caring, and always available when someone needs a hand. Grateful that she was there, he just listened to every word she said, occasionally nodding, or shaking his head.

~~

__

Everything you say to me takes me one step closer to the edge,  
And I'm about to break.  
I need a little room to breathe, cause I'm one step closer to the edge,  
And I'm about to break.  
~~ 'One Step Closer' – Linkin Park ~~


	13. Chapter Twelve: Echo

****

~~ Chapter Twelve: Echo ~~  
Author's Note: To my anonymous flamer...if you wanna flame, at LEAST leave your name so I can retaliate. I don't care if you think Rylea is a 'Mary Sue.' Like I told you before...if you don't like my story, don't read it, because I'm NOT gonna stop writing or change what I had planned, just because you, one of the many readers I have, don't like it. You're the only one that seems to have a problem with it. I'm trying to be mature and nice about all this, but this is the second time...come on!  
**To All My Other Readers:** 'Tis the final chapter, alas. Sequel? Yes, no, maybe so? I need an answer, folks!

~~

Rylea approached Nick, who was sitting on the couch in the break room, staring blankly out the window. He looked so lost, like he needed someone just to wrap their arms around him, and tell him everything was going to be ok. Nervously, she cleared her throat, trying to get his attention. What was the best way to do this? The direct approach? No way, not with someone who was grieving...or in denial, rather. She had to bring it up gently. Maybe, find something to use to dance around it. Somehow, that always worked with her. That was what she'd have to do. She cracked her knuckles, sucked in her fear, and approached Nick. "Hey, Nick..." she said, as casually as she could.

Nick glanced up at Rylea, mumbled a soft, barely coherent, "Hey," then re-fixed his glance on the window.

__

This is gonna be harder than I thought...she thought, and sat down beside him. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, expecting a resonant 'no.' 

Nick looked very confused. His archenemy was being nice, and he was actually thinking about it? Why wasn't he going to just shove her off as usual? Why did he feel like he couldn't do that? Like, maybe, she was going to tell him something important? Either way, he couldn't listen. Well, then why was he? He just looked sharply at her, and came up with an abrupt, "What?"

Not expecting that, she immediately choked up, not knowing what to say. "Um...well," she tried to think fast, but came up with nothing. "I was just curious about something you said to me yesterday..." she looked over at him.

"Which was?" he still seemed slightly annoyed. _She looks slightly confused...it's kinda funny, really..._he laughed to himself.

"You said you'd be loyal to Jenna no matter what...well, you sounded kinda like you hadn't realized she was..." she paused, not knowing how to put the next part of her accusation.

"What?" Nick shouted, rolling his eyes. "What is the problem, in the planet of all happy people and good news?"

Rylea thought for a second. Maybe, with someone who was as annoyed as he was with her, the direct approach was the only way to go. "Jenna is gone, Nick..." she gently said. "You know that, right?"

__

The nerve! Nick thought, tears coming to his eyes. What the hell was she thinking, or not thinking for that matter? He knew she was gone, honestly, he did. "What the hell?" he scoffed, giving Rylea a look of pure anger. "What is your problem? You come in here, and take over everything Jenna worked so hard for, and then try to take me?" he shook his head.

"I didn't say anything like that...just, yesterday, you seemed like you didn't realize she was gone!" she shook her head, insistently. 

"She'll never be gone to me, damn it!" he stood up.

"Ok, I'm sorry..." Rylea sighed, "I was just worried about you!"

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Well, don't."

"I was just making an effort to be friendly, and maybe even help console you a little! Damn, if that's a crime!" she stood up in a flash. 

Some of her dark brown hair fell in front of her eyes. That exact thing always happened to Jenna when she got upset, and this immediately came through to Nick. His eyes softened a little, and filled with tears. Every thing about Rylea reminded him of Jenna, and it killed him. He turned around, and wiped his eyes clean, then looked back at Rylea, only to have them fill up again.

She gently walked up to him, and placed her hand on his shoulder, expecting to only have it abruptly shoved off again. She was surprised when instead he just looked away from her, and allowed the tears to flow. "Nick..." she compassionately looked at him, and opened her arms.

He turned his head to her, and gave in, hugging her gently. "You're so much like her, it's scary, you know that?" he asked, using a quieter tone than he usually did with Rylea. "I think that's probably why I'm so mean and resentful to you..."

"No, you're not being mean or resentful to me...you're just hurt!" she understood completely, and her voice showed it. "It's ok, really..." she half-smiled, not knowing if it was ok to smile at him yet.

"Seriously, though, I bet that if we'd met under different circumstances, we'd have gotten along great," he told her. "I just feel kinda...obliged to give Jenna her deserved mourning period before talking to someone who is basically her reflection." He was very surprised at her understanding, sweet nature, especially after how he'd been to her.

"I completely understand that," Rylea nodded, releasing Nick from the hug, and looking into his eyes. "Believe me, I came in here the first day expecting someone, if not everyone, to resent, maybe even hate me!"

Nick shook his head. "Hate you? I..."

Rylea shot Nick a look that was filled with disagreement.

"...did at first..." he finished, knowing she didn't believe him. "Yeah, I did...but I thought you were trying to..."

"...take over everything from Jenna?" Rylea finished his sentence, grinning a little. "I know that, but I wasn't. I wouldn't do that."

"How was I to know that?" he asked, somewhat assuming he knew her answer already.

"Ask me?" she smirked.

"I saw that coming..." he grinned back at her, still a little teary. "And, what if I had been right? You know how much I would have hated you then..." he looked at Rylea, who was laughing a little.

"Well, you were wrong, so there's no need to imagine or wonder about any of that!" her grin grew a little. "I'm not, nor will I ever be trying to take over Jenna Grissom's life! I promise! I am merely her sister...and wow, saying that weirded me out..." she shook her head. 

Nick laughed a little at that. "Still getting used to it?"

"It's gonna take me a little while to get used to..." she sighed. "And it's gonna be weird working for my dad, that's for sure..."

"If Jenn handled it, you can..." Nick cleared his throat. "You are, after all, her sister..."

Rylea gasped (in her head) at him even comparing her to Jenna. "You realize..."

Nick just nodded. "Yeah, I do...shush about it, before I take it back!" he grinned, knowing this would shut Rylea up.

She merely put her hands in the air, and backed up two steps. This was going to be the start of a great friendship...

**__**

Fini!

~~

__

Something about the way you moved,  
I see your mouth in slow motion when you sing.  
It's other than something someone contrives,  
Your movements echo that I have seen the real thing..  
Could you show me dear, something I've not seen...  
Something infinitely interesting?  
~~ 'Echo' – Incubus ~~


End file.
